A Little Hope
by Dani-Ellie03
Summary: Various post-series snippets chronicling the life of Emma, Killian, and Hope.
1. Late Night Lullabies

**Title:** A Little Hope  
 **Summary:** Various post-series snippets chronicling the life of Emma, Killian, and Hope.  
 **Spoilers:** Set post-7X22, "Leaving Storybrooke."  
 **Rating/Warning:** K+. Pirate family fluff all around.  
 **Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time_ and its characters were created by Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I'm just borrowing them but I'll put everything back the way I found it.  
 **Author's Note:** I've been writing these flashfics for Tumblr, little scenelets that I write in twenty or so minutes and post with no editing. Since I'm amassing a little collection of them, I thought I'd start putting them here as well to keep them all in one place. As is typical of me, please keep a toothbrush handy. Feedback is like a Christmas present in a writer's inbox! Enjoy. :)

* * *

Emma wakes to soft whimpers, little sounds that are precursors to one of Hope's middle-of-the-night crying jags. A sigh escapes her lips but before she can throw the covers off her legs to climb out of bed, a soft whisper fills the room. "Hush now, little love. Let's not wake your mother."

A reach behind Emma proves that her wonderful husband had gotten up at the first sign of Hope's fussiness. Her heart bursting with love, she blinks her eyes open. Killian lifts Hope out of the bassinet and settles in the rocking chair with her, tenderly singing her a lullaby. To Emma's surprise, he's not singing his usual Enchanted Forest tune. No, this time, it's The Beatles' "Penny Lane," a song Emma isn't even aware he knew.

Little Hope soon drifts back to sleep, comforted by her father's soft voice. And though Hope has stopped fussing, Killian continues to sing and continues to hold her, smiling down at her perfect little face with all the love he has in his heart.

He runs through the song twice. Only then does he chance standing up and settling Hope back in the bassinet. He stands at the bassinet for a long moment before swiping his fingers across Hope's little forehead. "Sleep well, little love," he murmurs.

Only when he turns around does he realize Emma has been watching him. He scratches at his ear, turning a sheepish smile on his wife. "Apologies if we woke you, love. I was trying to let you sleep."

"It's perfectly all right," Emma assures him, her heart lighter than air. God, how did she get so lucky? "You're wonderful with her. Though, I do have one bone to pick with you."

"Aye?"

"When the hell did you learn a Beatles song?"

Killian chuckles, climbs back into bed and wraps his arm around her, settling her down with him. "I believe the gentleman on the radio in the Bug called it an 'oldie.'"

That doesn't exactly answer her question but it's oh-dark-hundred and Emma's too tired to belabor the point. "Mmm. Know any more secret lullabies?"

"Perhaps one or two."

And know them he does, for Emma drifts back to sleep with the strains of Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love" murmured into her ear in a soft, accented voice.


	2. Amusement Park Adventure

**Author's Note:** Once again, you all are the best! Thank you for your lovely comments and the follows and favorites! Here's the next little bit. :)

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma spotted the shit-eating grin on her husband's face and sighed. "You can stop gloating at any time, now."

"How dare you suggest such a thing?" Killian asked, mock innocence lacing his tone. "I am most certainly not gloating."

In the rearview mirror, Emma spotted Neal, who held a book open in his lap, hiding a smirk. A sleeping Hope, exhausted from the long day, heard none of her parents' teasing argument.

Again, Emma sighed. The kids' first time at an amusement park certainly had not gone as planned.

Now that Hope was seven, it had been Emma's idea to take her down to a New Hampshire amusement park for the day. When she'd asked her parents if she could take Neal as well, they'd readily agreed.

Emma was the only one in her entire family who had ever been on a ride more involved than a playground swing set. She wasn't the most adventurous rider but she liked roller coasters and Ferris wheels and Tilt-a-Whirls and Scramblers. Her brother and her daughter liked popcorn and ice cream and fried dough and her husband enjoyed taking Hope all the new places he could. Why not try an amusement park?

Plenty of reasons, as it turned out.

Neal discovered on the Ferris wheel that he hated heights and as such refused to go on anything else that left the ground. Although Hope didn't have a problem with heights, they all discovered quickly – and messily – that she couldn't stomach anything that spun. Thankfully, some sips of water and the promise of getting her face painted settled her enough that they could stay.

The family was left with maybe three rides they could all go on together – the bumper cars, the antique cars, and the little steam train that went around the park. Everything else had to be enjoyed with careful coordination and one adult and child going on the ride while the other adult and child waited for them to return.

Emma again glanced up in the rearview mirror. The butterfly painted on Hope's cheek had smudged while she napped. "Did you have a good day, Neal?" Emma asked, flicking her gaze to her brother.

"Even though heights are the _worst_ , I did have a good time," he said, smiling as he met his big sister's gaze in the mirror. "The Tilt-a-Whirl is the _best_ and I liked going after Killian in the bumper cars."

"Oi, little mate," Killian teased, turning over his shoulder to look at the boy, "you didn't just 'go after' me, you chased me into a corner. That was hardly sporting."

Neal shrugged. "Wasn't my fault you couldn't figure out how to get unstuck."

The adults laughed and Killian turned around, letting the boy go back to his book. "And did you have a good day, love?" Killian asked his wife.

"I did," Emma smiled. "We may have had a bit of a rough start but any day I get to go on the Tilt-a-Whirl five times in a row with my favorite little brother is a good time." And any day she could be with her husband and daughter, to see the love in their eyes and the smiles on their faces … that was pretty much the most perfect day ever.

She didn't voice that opinion, though. She simply sighed and said, "And I'm not even going to ask if you had a good day because the shit-eating grin on your face speaks for itself."

"Of course, love," Killian said as he glanced over his shoulder at his napping little pirate princess. "It's not every day you discover that your daughter's favorite amusement ride is the pirate ship."


	3. Car Wash

**Author's Note:** You guys are the best! This one was the result of some out-of-the-blue feels.

Emma sits on the porch with a glass of lemonade in her hands and a smile on her face. Her husband has taken it upon himself to wash the Bug and this time, he has a very special apprentice.

Hope reaches her little hand into the bucket and withdraws a soapy sponge. She giggles lightly at the foamy mess as Killian shows her how to wring out the excess water. They wash the car together, Killian running his own sponge over the roof and the windows and four-year-old Hope focusing on the doors and wheel wells, which are as high as she can reach.

A morning like this is something that for a long time, Emma never thought possible even in her wildest dreams. But now, as she watches her husband and her daughter soap up her car while also "accidentally" flinging foam at each other, she's struck by how _real_ it is.

How perfect it is.

And how, in just one moment, she can make it even more perfect.

Setting the glass of lemonade down on the wicker table, Emma slowly descends the stairs and tiptoes up to her husband and daughter. Killian has tossed the garden hose aside while performing soaping duties, a fact which Emma uses to her advantage. She picks up the hose, aims the nozzle at Killian, and squeezes the trigger.

The spray takes both him and Hope by surprise. "Bloody hell!" Killian shouts, shivering from the blast of cold water. Hope looks from her shocked father to her grinning mother and shrieks with laughter. "Do me now, Mama! Do me!"

Emma happily turns the hose on her daughter, spraying her with a gentle mist that has the girl giggling in the sun. So focused is she on spraying Hope that Killian easily snatches it and turns the spray on her.

Hope's laughter echoes through the morning as her mother and father chase each other through the yard, spraying each other and her in succession.

In no time at all, they're soaked. "White flag," Emma cries, waving her hands in the air.

Killian smirks and looks down at their daughter. "What say you, little love? Shall we offer the enemy amnesty?"

Hope pretends to think, her blonde pigtails dripping. "Aye, captain."

"Very well, then," KIllian grins and turns to Emma. "We accept your surrender, on one condition."

"And what condition is that?"

"You have to kiss both of us."

Emma smiles. "Then I surrender willingly."


	4. Nightmares

Killian Jones opened his eyes to the gray light of the early morning – and an empty bed. Immediately, he was on high alert. What in blazes was Emma doing up at five in the morning? As far as she was concerned, this time of the morning was still the middle of the night.

A soft whimper from across the hall drew his attention and light dawned. Suddenly, he knew where his wife was.

He threw the covers off his legs and crept to Hope's room. Sure enough, there were both of his girls, sound asleep curled up together in Hope's twin bed. Faint tear stains on Hope's cheeks and the slight furrow of her brow told him that another nightmare was ramping up in his sweet little love's subconscious.

Hope had been having nightmares every night for the past couple of weeks. Emma insisted it was a phase – at four, Hope was the exact right age for them – but knowing that her nightmares would eventually pass did not make watching her suffer any easier.

Killian crouched down beside his daughter and ran his finger down her little cheek. "Hush, little love," he murmured, "it's all right. It's just a dream."

Thankfully, she calmed without waking. "There we go, little love," he whispered, smiling. "Sleep well."

He dropped a soft kiss on her cheek and rounded the bed to crouch beside Emma. Hope was every bit a bed hog as her mother and poor Emma was balanced precariously on the edge of the mattress. Killian roused her with a gentle shake of her shoulder and a soft call of her name. "Apologies, love," he murmured when she dragged her eyes open. "I just thought you might be uncomfortable squeezed into a tiny bed with a four-year-old."

"Mmm." Emma stretched her cramped muscles and sat up, taking care not to wake her little girl. "I didn't mean to fall asleep with her."

"Another nightmare?" Killian asked.

Emma nodded. "At three-ish. She cried herself back to sleep and I couldn't make myself leave her. I … I didn't want her to be alone."

Oh, how Killian understood. He knew, as well as she did, how terrible it was to wake from a nightmare and have no parent to comfort him. How terrifying it was to have to calm himself down enough to go back to sleep. "Aye, love. I understand perfectly."

She smiled sadly. Of course he did.

"She'll always know that someone is there for her," he continued, holding his hand out to his wife. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "She'll always know how very loved she is."

"Damn straight she will," Emma agreed.

"But right now, her mommy needs a couple more hours' sleep in her own bed," Killian smiled.

A couple more hours sounded _wonderful_. "Mm. And her daddy needs to relax a little before getting up to start the day."

Killian chuckled. "Aye, love. I think he does."

With a glance back at Hope, who was sleeping peacefully, Killian and Emma crept out of the room. Still, they left their door and hers open, ready to run to Hope's side the second their baby needed them.


	5. Field Trip

Parents can be so embarrassing.

It doesn't help that Hope's family is pretty much the most well-known one in all of Storybrooke. Her mom and dad are the police. Her grandma teaches at her school. Sometimes a fourth-grader just wants to skip her homework for one night, you know? Or maybe get a little rowdy at recess and climb the swing set, even though she knows she's not supposed to. Or maybe even go on a field trip without _someone_ in her family chaperoning.

No such luck today. Thanks to her grandpa offering to cover the station, _both_ of her parents are chaperoning this field trip to tour the castle in Arendelle. And okay, it is _really_ cool that Hope is on a first name basis with Queen Elsa and her family and everything but still. She's on a field trip with _her parents_.

 _So_ embarrassing.

Of course she winds up in her dad's group. He decides to hold court with (highly exaggerated) tales of the sea. Hope sinks down in the bus seat, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks, but to her surprise the rest of the kids in the group are eating the stories up.

Her mom is seated across the aisle, smiling lovingly at her dad.

Okay, _maybe_ that's cute.

The bus pulls up in front of the drawbridge to the castle. The kids all file out and the chaperones make sure they have all their charges. Queen Elsa comes out to greet her guests and first hugs Hope's mom, then her dad, and then Hope. "You've gotten taller since I've seen you last!" she teases, making Hope smile because they've just seen each other the week before.

As the kids file across the drawbridge, one of the boys in Hope's class, Jason, stares at her. "You _know_ her?"

Hope nods somewhat uncomfortably. "She and my mom and dad are friends. I've known her since I was a baby."

"That's so cool!"

"She saved my mom's life once," Hope offers, "and my mom helped her find her sister."

"Do you think your dad would be willing to tell the story?" Hope raises her eyebrows and Jason smiles sheepishly. "I was listening on the bus. He's good at telling stories. He must tell the best bedtime stories."

Hope smiles. "He does. I can't promise anything but I'll see if they'll be up for sharing the story on the bus ride home."

"Thanks. Your parents are really cool."

Cool? Her parents?

Jason steps forward to catch up with his buddies and Hope's gaze shifts to her parents, who are somehow managing to keep an eye on her and their groups while chatting with Elsa.

Okay, sometimes her parents are embarrassing but maybe they have their cool moments, too.


	6. Mittens

**Author's Note:** All toddlers seem to have that one stuffed animal that goes everywhere with them. Here is Hope's. :)

* * *

"Oh, Mittens," Emma sighs as she slips the plush cat from under her napping daughter's arm, "you have certainly seen better days."

The cat is gray with white paws (hence her name). She was a gift from Henry for Hope's second birthday and she has been Hope's constant companion in the year and a half since. She's been misted with salt spray on the _Jolly Roger_. She's been dropped in the muddy sheep pen and pecked by chickens at the farm. She's even been run over by the Bug, though how she was left in the middle of driveway, Emma still isn't sure. And no one likes to discuss the messiness that ensued during Hope's bout with the 24-hour stomach bug. Mittens stayed by her side and practically needed to be decontaminated when it was over.

Even now, there are suspicious pink stains around the cat's plush mouth. Emma brings the cat to her nose and sniffs. Strawberry.

Heaving another sigh, Emma slips from Hope's room, eases the door closed, and holds the cat up to her husband. "Your daughter tried to share her Gogurt with Mittens."

Killian swallows a chuckle. "At least she's learning to share. I take it Mittens needs another delicate cycle?"

"That she does." Emma reaches into the linen closet for a pillowcase and drops Mittens into it. She's learned this trick from her mother, who used to wash Neal's stuffed animals the same way. "Let's hope we can get her washed and dried before our little pirate princess wakes up from her nap."

* * *

No such luck. Hope wakes with twenty minutes still left on the dryer. "Where's Mittens, Mama?" she asks, still blinking away sleep.

"Mittens is having a bath," Emma tells her gently while preparing herself for the waterworks to start.

To her surprise, Hope doesn't cry. She simply frowns up at her mother. "Cats don't like water."

"Mittens seems to like sailing the Jolly Roger well enough," Emma reminds her. Not wanting to linger over the missing cat and give Hope a chance to cry, Emma picks her still sleepy daughter up and carries her over to the sofa.

"But she's not _in_ the water when we go sailing, Mama," Hope argues.

Sensing that his wife needs a hand, Killian smiles at his pirate princess. "Even though she doesn't like water, Mittens knew her bath was important. She was very brave and now she's having a lie-down in the sauna."

Again, Hope frowns. "What's a sauna?"

"It's a room that's very hot."

"That doesn't sound like fun. I don't like being hot."

"Cats like being hot, though," Emma reminds her. "They sit right in the sun, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Can I have Mittens when she comes back from the hot room?"

"Of course, little love," Killian assures.

And when the dryer cycle finishes, Emma hands a warm, toasty, and clean Mittens back to her daughter. "She smells like the towels," Hope says, smiling as she hugs the cat to her chest.

Which is apparently a much better scent than hours-old strawberry yogurt.


End file.
